Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Jagex pauses Stellar Dawn's development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/jagex-pauses-stellar-dawns-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/jagex-pauses-stellar-dawns-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/jagex-pauses-stellar-dawns-development/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Stellar Dawn
Word to the wise: Don't put "dawn" into any part of your MMO's name, or else it will get hit by the curse of breaking dawn. Just ask Dawntide, DAWN, and now, Stellar Dawn.

Yes, unfortunately it's true. Jagex announced that it's suspending development on Stellar Dawn to make sure the company is in the best position possible by concentrating on Transformers Universe and RuneScape. While the studio was able to shuffle most of Stellar Dawn's team around to new positions, the decision still resulted in the loss of 12 jobs.

In a prepared statement, CEO Mark Gerhard was highly complimentary of Stellar Dawn's team and progress. "Jagex has always been committed to developing the highest quality games and services. This is not a decision we have taken lightly; the Stellar Dawn team has achieved a great deal developing the game and should rightly be proud of their achievements so far."

Stellar Dawn fans might find hope in the language being used by the team in the forum announcement, as the title's development is described as being "paused" and a "temporary move" instead of being outright cancelled.

MassivelyJagex pauses Stellar Dawn's development originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arrested-developmentarrested-development-was-an-awesome-showbreaking-dawncancelcurse-of-breaking-dawndawndawntidefreeze-developmentjagexkillkill-developmentmark-gerhardrunescapestellar-dawnsuspend-developmenttransformers-universeFri, 02 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA['Staunchly British' Jagex sets the record straight about its new ownership]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/12/staunchly-british-jagex-sets-the-record-straight-about-its-new/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/12/staunchly-british-jagex-sets-the-record-straight-about-its-new/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/12/staunchly-british-jagex-sets-the-record-straight-about-its-new/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Jagex studios
Jagex doesn't take kindly to being called an American company these days, it appears. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, CEO Mark Gerhard set the record straight about the recently reported deal that put the British game studio under the purview of an American investment firm.

Because the deal was made earlier last year, Gerhard sees this as old news and stressed that the company was trucking on much the same as it ever was. "The insinuation that this is a company that somehow now is run by bankers in the US again couldn't be further from the truth," he said. "Sure we therefore have some American shareholders, but the management and the culture and the ethos and everything else is the same people, in the same hands, and staunchly British."

He also clarified why the studio's profits were reported to be down: "If you look at our company's house filings, revenues are up but profits are down, and those aren't because we're doing a crap job, that's because we're consciously taking those profits and ploughing them back into the business."

Gerhard said that the company was "very, very selective" when it came to investors, and that it feels completely comfortable with the current board of directors. He said that the new investors were not interfering with the day-to-day development and operations of Jagex's ever-expanding library of titles: "I'm very excited for the year ahead and everyone in the studio is very focused on, not just making RuneScape and 8Realms a financial success, but our work on Stellar Dawn and even Transformers coming together to make truly great games for this year."

Massively'Staunchly British' Jagex sets the record straight about its new ownership originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8realmsboard-of-directorsbritishdealinsight-venture-partnersinterviewjagexMark-Gerhardpip-pip-cheerioprofitprofitsrevenuerunescapeshareholdersstellar-dawntransformers-universeThu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex preparing to conquer the world with 8Realms]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/08/jagex-preparing-to-conquer-the-world-with-8realms/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/08/jagex-preparing-to-conquer-the-world-with-8realms/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/08/jagex-preparing-to-conquer-the-world-with-8realms/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

"What's next?" is the question on everyone's lips when it comes to successful MMO studio Jagex. The RuneScape developer has many projects in the works, including Stellar Dawn and Transformers Online. However, the company is hoping that you'll also take notice of 8Realms, its social empire builder that lets you cultivate a civilization from scratch and conquer the world with your cunning.

As 8Realms entered closed beta this past week, Lead Developer Claire Blackshaw spoke with CVG about the game's focus. "Our approach is always a strategy first and social second," she said. "Though I do think the most appealing aspect of games such as Diplomacy is the social element."

She thinks that the game can challenge genre favorite titles like Civilization and Total War while remaining accessible to the lunch break strategist: "8Realms can fit into your day, firing it up at lunch to launch a few attacks or make sure your research is going as planned. Also because of the social element you have wars break out which get you very worked up."

The team is also proud of how far it has advanced the capability of browser-based games alone. "We made current browser tech jump through hoops, and using our own server-side technology pushed what's possible in terms of scaling," Blackshaw said.

MassivelyJagex preparing to conquer the world with 8Realms originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8-realms8realmsbrowserbrowser-basedbrowser-based-technologybrowser-techbrowser-technologycivilizationClaire-Blackshawcvgdiplomacyempire-builderempire-buildinginterviewjagexrunescapesocialstellar-dawnstrategytotal-wartransformerstransformers-onlineSun, 08 May 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[This week on the MMO Report]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/this-week-on-the-mmo-report/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/this-week-on-the-mmo-report/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/this-week-on-the-mmo-report/#commentsFiled under: , ,

This week's MMO Report is full of stars! Star Wars, that is. Casey's top story was the seven-page look at SWTOR's space combat in the newest PC Gamer magazine, followed shortly thereafter by a look at SWTOR's four new species.

The new trailer for Stellar Dawn, the upcoming MMO from Jagex, was up next. Finally, Casey covered John Smedley's surprise announcement from Fan Faire: EverQuest Next.

The MMO Report wrapped up with Uncle Casey's Mailbag and a special surprise. Remember the Red Wolf Hat? Well, G4TV got a couple of them as well, and are giving them away. All you have to do is... well, follow along after the jump to watch The MMO Report and see for yourself!

Continue reading This week on the MMO Report

MassivelyThis week on the MMO Report originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casey-schreinereverquest-nextg4g4tvhumorstar-wars-the-old-republicstellar-dawnswtorthe-mmo-reportFri, 13 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex releases Stellar Dawn teaser]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/10/jagex-releases-stellar-dawn-teaser/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/10/jagex-releases-stellar-dawn-teaser/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/10/jagex-releases-stellar-dawn-teaser/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Jagex Games Studio, noteworthy publisher of the long-running browser-based Runescape MMORPG, has released the first trailer for its latest project, a sci-fi MMO known as Stellar Dawn. The teaser doesn't feature any gameplay footage, but does manage to conjure a nifty Dead Space-esque sense of dread.

Stellar Dawn, also browser-based, will feature a large, explorable world conducive to both cooperative and solo play. Extensive portions of the title will be free-to-play, with the remainder employing a version of Jagex's RMT offerings. You can read more about the title, as well as sign up for beta, at the official Stellar Dawn website. Don't forget to check out the trailer after the jump.

Continue reading Jagex releases Stellar Dawn teaser

MassivelyJagex releases Stellar Dawn teaser originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browser-baseddead-spacef2pfree-to-playjagexmaverickrunescapestellar-dawnTue, 10 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex pregnant with its third MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/29/jagex-pregnant-with-its-third-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/29/jagex-pregnant-with-its-third-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/29/jagex-pregnant-with-its-third-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Look who's expecting: Jagex, the maker of RuneScape, not only has one bun in the oven (Stellar Dawn) but another MMO cooking as well. In an interview with Eurogamer, Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard announced that the company is working on a new fantasy title.

"A lot of what we've done to push the boundary for Stellar Dawn will benefit RuneScape and another MMO we're working on," Gerhard said. "We've got the advantage in that we share the same MMO tech platform. From there it's really down to the studios to decide how its [sic] used."

While he was reluctant to share the name of the baby, er, new game, Gerhard said that it was not a sequel to RuneScape. This follows their recent announcement of Stellar Dawn, the company's "biggest MMO to date." You can read the full article at Eurogamer.

MassivelyJagex pregnant with its third MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingceoeurogamerhes-having-a-babyjagexmark-gerhardnew-mmonew-titlerunescapestellar-dawnThu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex announces Stellar Dawn: "biggest release to date"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/14/jagex-announces-stellar-dawn-biggest-release-to-date/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/14/jagex-announces-stellar-dawn-biggest-release-to-date/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/14/jagex-announces-stellar-dawn-biggest-release-to-date/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The newest MMO to come from Jagex is an ambitious one. CEO Mark Gerhard calls Stellar Dawn the studio's "biggest release to date," adding that the team is extremely excited about the project.

The team is keeping the majority of details quiet for the time being, but we do know that the game is sci-fi, free-to-play, and set for launch in 2011. The first round of screenshots gives us a look at the world of Stellar Dawn through environmental scenery, and Mark created a short video to introduce the game.

Want to know more? You might have a chance to, because Jagex is currently accepting signups for the first round of (as yet undated) closed beta testing. Check out the art and video below, and visit Stellar Dawn's main page to apply for the beta.

Gallery: Stellar Dawn

Continue reading Jagex announces Stellar Dawn: "biggest release to date"

MassivelyJagex announces Stellar Dawn: "biggest release to date" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pfree-to-playftpjagexmark-gerhardsci-fistellar-dawnWed, 14 Jul 2010 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex cancels MechScape at significant cost, restarts anew]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard has indeed confirmed the cancellation of MechScape, although you wouldn't quite know it from his comments, which seem excited to be working on a different title with a new direction. This isn't the first time an in-development MMO has been rebooted in favor of a completely new direction, although Tabula Rasa at least kept its original name.

Why the sudden decision? According to Gerhard, MechScape wasn't able to avoid the same pitfalls of RuneScape. Of course, making such a move is going to cost Jagex millions, but their current financial success will be shouldering the weight. The new game -- known as Stellar Dawn -- should be coming in 2010 and will be based on the MechScape graphics engine.

The big changes planned for Stellar Dawn are content and combat focused, although no specifics were given by Gerhard. It's a bold move, no doubt, and sometimes this industry favors such decisions -- other times it punishes them significantly. Whether you look at this as stalled (Tabula Rasa) or prolonged (everything Blizzard) development, you have to admit it creates a notable amount of interest in Jagex's 2010 game.

MassivelyJagex cancels MechScape at significant cost, restarts anew originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2010blizzardbreakingcancelcancelledeurogamerjagexmark-gerhardmechscaperunescapestellar-dawntabula-rasaThu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST